press kit - Alpha Violet

PHOTO: CHRISTIAN MOUZARD
SYNOPSIS
The Sound of Trees chronicles the summer of a teenager caught between
the river and the forest. Seventeen year-old Jérémie (talented newcomer
Antoine L’Écuyer) dreams of a better life, away from the family sawmill
and his native village of Gaspésie, Québec. Instead of the forestry work,
Jérémie prefers pimping his car, hip hop and slacking off with his friends.
The situation drives his father Régis (played by one of Canada’s leading
actors, Roy Dupuis) to despair as he blames his son’s attitude on a
local drug dealer. When Jérémie’s elder brother leaves town, tensions rise
PHOTO: CHRISTIAN MOUZARD
quickly in the summer heat.
The Sound of Trees also offers a reflection on wealth, our wealth, and
progress. “If we don’t advance, we go backwards!” says farmer and forester
André Veilleux to his wife. Unfortunately, to believe that it always takes us more
and more, we risk losing our balance. Luckily, Régis wants nothing to do with
the materialism that allows most people to feel part of our world, but Jérémie is
PHOTO: CHRISTIAN MOUZARD
still doubting whether his dad might be right.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
For me personally, The Sound of Trees was the perfect debut film for several
reasons. This project is set in the forest, where my heart is, in a region where
significant elements are part of every day life. The presence of the river, an
important part of the Québec landscape, brings us to the end of the world,
while the windmills, although pretty, nourish a sense of pillaging of the
regional resources for metropolitan interests. This “Bas-du-fleuve” region is
also the land of Léonard Otis, whom I admire greatly. A promoter of the concept
of forest farms, he defended the exploitation of forests by workers living in the
area rather than big corporations. The Sound of Trees speaks of anchorage, the
sometimes deafening memory of where we come from.
From a broader perspective, the film signals the decline of Québec’s regional
culture, which is firmly rooted in traditions, in gestures of survival, in a way of
living together. Today, many people in Québec are rediscovering these roots and
beginning to appreciate the province’s beauty and uniqueness.
Unfortunately, a teenager like Jérémie living in faraway St-Ulric in Gaspésie,
he feels that he’s got nothing that makes him proud of where he comes from.
He may have to leave his hometown to truly come to appreciate it one day.
The film is about legacy, without very little discussion of material heritage. It’s
more of a cultural legacy we’re addressing, this impression of knowing the true
nature of wealth that Régis would like to pass onto his son. But for him, the fear
of failing in his role as a father prevents Régis from seeing how Jérémie, who
was following in his footsteps, comes to slowly abandon, over the course of this
summer, the natural elements that forged his identity.
Finally, The Sound of Trees provides an intimate view of adolescence. A moment
of awkward growth that allows us to break with what has shaped us. This
moment is both dizzying and filled with the natural sadness of acknowledging
the inevitable separation between children and their parents.
To tell this tale of adolescence, we show thirty scenes that take place during
one summer. These allow us to live at a more realistic pace to observe our
characters, without feeling that the film’s story is more important than what
happens to its characters. We wanted to free ourselves from the narrative
imperatives that are often forced into contemporary screenplays.
True to the image of this region, The Sound of Trees is a tough film in which
light sometimes pierces, as through a canopy, providing a touching spectacle.
It provides hope that people always grow through the experiences they live. It’s
a warm, human film in which awkward feelings reveal themselves more through
actions than words. Thanks to The Sound of Trees I was able to make a sensitive
and relevant feature film, deeply anchored in my own culture.
DIRECTOR AND CO-WRITER
FRANÇOIS PÉLOQUIN
Anthropologist at heart, with a deep love of people and their ordinary ways,
François Péloquin creates powerful images that reflect his obsession for
truthful details. It’s by embarking in La Course autour du monde 97-98 as
a videographer for Radio-Canada that François discovered a medium that
led to him directing many shorts, commercials,
music videos, documentary series and stage
designs. François is currently writing his
second feature film The Secrets (Les secrets),
with Sarah Lévesque, the co-writer of his
directorial debut, The Sound of Trees (Le bruit
des arbres).
COUZIN FILMS
Couzin Films inc. is a film, television, and transmedia company based in
Montreal. Founded in 1999 by Ziad Touma, its mandate is to develop and
produce, in French and English, high quality audiovisual content, combining
cultural diversity, social reflection, artistic innovation and commercial potential.
The Sound of Trees by François Péloquin is the fourth feature that Ziad Touma
produces through Couzin Films. In 2014, The Guardian Angel (L’ange gardien) by
Jean-Sébastien Lord, featuring Guy Nadon and Marilyn Castonguay, won the Gilles
Carle Award for Best first or second feature at the RVCQ and was nominated for two
performance awards at the Jutra (Best Actor for Guy Nadon and Best Supporting
Actor for Patrick Hivon); Adam’s Wall (2008), directed by Michael Mackenzie,
starring Jesse Aaron Dwyre and Flavia Bechara, was nominated for a Jutra award
for Best Supporting Actress (Maxim Roy); Saved by the Belles (2003) by Ziad Touma,
featuring Brian C. Warren and Karen Simpson, was nominated for three Genie Awards.
CO-WRITER
SARAH LÉVESQUE
As a child, Sarah Lévesque used to cut out images from magazines
to tell stories to her family. So it seemed normal to her, as an adult, to
write for a living. She started out as a journalist for various publications
(Nightlife Magazine, ICI Montréal, Elle Québec,
Clin d’oeil, Intérieurs, Paroles & Musique). She
then started writing fiction and documentaries.
She wrote Horses, Men and Cash, a series
of three episodes on horse racing in Québec
for Historia channel. She also co-wrote with
director François Péloquin the feature film
The Sound of Trees, released theatrically and in festivals as of July 2015.
Currently, she is writing L2F2 about love through texting with Dominique
Skoltz and is finishing The Secrets (Les secrets), her second feature with
François Péloquin. Sarah is always looking for that piece of humanity in her
stories, whether it be flawed or filled with light.
The short film Birthday Girl (2008) by Erin Laing won the Grand Prize of Sodec’s
Run for your Shorts screenwriting competition; and Line-Up (1999) by Ziad
Touma, won the Best Short Film Award at the Canadian Atlantic Film Festival.
Couzin Films also produced two interactive projects that gathered multiple
digital media awards: The Judas (Le judas, 2012), a participatory web fiction
written by Annie Turcotte, directed by Ziad Touma and co-produced with Kngfu
for Radio-Canada.ca, won two Digi Awards, four Boomerang Awards for Best
Interactive Fiction and Best Online Game, and was presented in the Interactive
Competition of Festival Nouveau Cinema and FIPA, and was also nominated at
the Gala Numix and Gémeaux Awards as Best interactive fiction series and Best
performance; and savedbythebelles.com (2003), co-produced with BlueSponge,
winner of the Grand Prix Boomerang in Arts and Culture and nominated at SXSW.
Couzin Films is currently developing its next projects from Québec, Canada as
international coproductions, bringing its auteur visions to the world market.
ROY DUPUIS
Roy first won people’s hearts with his moving portrayal of
Ovila Pronovost in the television series Emilie (Les Filles
de Caleb), for which he was awarded the Gémeaux for
Best Male Actor. Following these powerful performances,
Roy was offered the title role in The Rocket (Maurice
Richard), for which he won the Canadian Genie award
for Best actor and the Best actor award at the Tokyo
International Film Festival. Today, Roy Dupuis is a household name, popularized in
large part by his role of Michael in the American series Nikita, which was broadcast
in more than 50 countries. In The Last Chapter, the public selected him as Best Male
Actor at the Gala Métrostar.
Roy Dupuis’ film career took an international turn with performances in the TIFF hit
Screamers by Christian Duguay, Bleeders by Peter Svatek and Free Money by Yves
Simoneau, where he played opposite Marlon Brando. Roy performed the role of Alexis
in Séraphin: Heart of Stone (Séraphin: Un homme et son péché), the most popular
film in the history of Québec cinema. He played Gérald in Machine Gun Molly (Monica
la mitraille) by Pierre Houle and Jack Dekker in André Forcier’s film Les États-Unis
d’Albert. In Looking for Alexander (Mémoires affectives) by Francis Leclerc, he was
awarded Best Actor at the Jutra and the Genie in 2005. He was part of the Rendez-vous
du cinéma québécois’ opening night in Jeremy Peter Allen’s first film Manners of Dying.
Praised by American and Canadian critics alike, the film was released in France in
2006, overseen by Catherine Deneuve.
Since 2006, Roy Dupuis has performed in a wide variety of films that have garnered
international attention: Truffle (Truffe) directed by Kim Nguyen, and Jean-François
Richet’s Mesrine: L’instinct de mort in 2007, Sticky Fingers (Les doigts croches) by
Ken Scott in 2008; Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s movie Rock Paper Scissors (Roche Papier
Ciseaux) in 2012 and Patrick Gazé’s Stranger in a cab (Ceci n’est pas un polar) in
2014. He finished shooting Là où Atilla passe..., directed by Onur Karaman, that will
be released in 2015.
FILMOGRAPHIE
AWARDS
MOVIES
2008 GALA DES JUTRA
Best actor
Shake Hands With The Devil
2015 Là où Atilla passe...
Onur Karaman
2015 Le Bruit des Arbres - The Sound of Trees
François Péloquin
2014 Ceci n’est pas un polar - Stranger in a cab
Patrick Gazé
2013 Séances - Seances
Guy Maddin
2012 Roche Papier Ciseaux - Rock Paper Scissors
Yan Lanouette Turgeon
2011 Cyanure
Séverine Cornamusaz
2010 Coteau rouge
Marc-André Forcier
2008 Mesrine : L’instinct de mort
Jean-François Richet
2008 Les doigts croches - Sticky Fingers
2007 The Timekeeper
Louis Bélanger
2007 Je me souviens
Marc-André Forcier
2006 Shake hands with the devil
Roger Spottiswoode
2005 Maurice Richard - The Rocket
Charles Binamé
2004 Mémoires affectives - Looking for Alexander
Francis Leclerc
2003 Monica la mitraille - Machine Gun Molly
Pierre Houle
2001 Un homme et son péché - Seraphin Heart
of stone Charles Binamé
1995 Screamers
Christian Duguay
1994 C’était le 12 du 12 et Chili avait les blues Chili’s Blues Charles Binamé
1993 Being at home with Claude
Jean Beaudin
2007 GENIE AWARDS
Best Actor
Maurice Richard - The Rocket
2006 TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Best Actor
Maurice Richard - The Rocket
2005 GENIE AWARDS
Best Actor
Mémoires affectives - Looking for Alexander
2005 GALA DES JUTRA
Best Actor
Mémoires affectives - Looking for Alexander
2003 GALA MÉTROSTAR
Best Actor
Le Dernier Chapitre
1991-1992 GALA MÉTROSTAR
Best Actor
1992 GALA DES GÉMEAUX
Best Actor
Les Filles de Caleb
1991 FIPA (Festival International de Programmes
Audiovisuels)
FIPA d’or - Best Performance
Les Filles de Caleb - Emilie
A N T O I N E L’ É C U Y E R
THE SOUND OF TREES
Antoine l’Écuyer is a natural-born actor. Born
in 1997, he has been taking acting lessons
since he was six years old. His first big screen
performance was in the 2008 Philippe Falardeau
film It’s not me I Swear! (C’est pas moi je le
jure!), which earned him an award for Best Actor
at the Atlantic Film Festival for his portrayal of
Léon. That same year, Antoine performed the role
of Daniel in Sylvain Archambault’s feature film The Canadiens, Forever (Pour
Toujours... Les Canadiens).
In Spring 2012, Antoine was “Samuel” in the Christophe Cousin movie 2 temps,
3 mouvements. That summer, he starred as Gabriel in The 4 Soldiers (Les 4
soldats), directed by renowned Québec filmmaker Robert Morin. In the Fall, he
played the role of Sam in Sylvain Archambault’s La Garde. In 2013, Antoine
starred as François in Corbo, directed by Mathieu Denis. The Sound of Trees (Le
bruit des arbres) is his eighth movie.
FILMOGRAPHY
AWARDS
MOVIES
2008 FESTIVAL DU FILM DE L’ATLANTIQUE
Best Actor
C’est pas moi je le jure !
It’s not me I Swear!
2015 Le bruit des arbres
The Sound of Trees
François Péloquin
2014 Chorus
François Delisle
A film by François Péloquin
Feature film - Color - DCP - 78 min. - Canada
CAST
JÉRÉMIE
RÉGIS
Antoine L’Écuyer
Roy Dupuis
MAYA
FRANCIS
P.O.
Willia Ferland-Tanguay
Rémi Goulet
Charles-Émile Lafleur
CREW LIST
FRANÇOIS PÉLOQUIN
Director
ZIAD TOUMA
Producer
SARAH LÉVESQUE
FRANÇOIS PÉLOQUIN
Screenwriters
FRANÇOIS MESSIER-RHEAULT
Director of photography
SIMON GUILBAULT
Art Director
JULIE CHARLAND
Costumes
TAMMY-LOU PATE
Make-up / Hair
MARTIN BOURGAULT
AUBE FOGLIA
SIMON SAUVÉ
Editing
FRANÇOIS GRENON
SYLVAIN BELLEMARE
LUC BOUDRIAS
Sound
MIMI ALLARD
Original Music
VIRGINIE LÉGER
Production Manager
NATHALIE BOUTRIE
Casting
2013 Corbo
Mathieu Denis
2012 La garde
Sylvain Archambault
2012 Les 4 Soldats
The 4 Soldiers
Robert Morin
2012 Deux temps, Trois mouvements
Christophe Cousin
2008 Pour toujours... les Canadiens
The Canadiens, Forever
Sylvain Archambault
PHOTOS: CHRISTIAN MOUZARD
2008 C’est pas moi je le jure!
It’s not me I Swear!
Philippe Falardeau
With the financial participation of
And the collaboration of
Developed with the help of
PUBLICITY
SILVERSALT PR
Thessa Mooij
mob +1.646.637.4700
thessa@silversaltpr.com
INTERNATIONAL SALES
DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA
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ALPHA VIOLET
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75020 Paris, France
T. +33 1 47 97 39 84
info@alphaviolet.com
PRODUCTION
Ziad Touma
COUZIN FILMS
5661, Avenue de Chateaubriand, # 638
Montréal, (Québec) H2S 0B6
T. +1-514-562-9423
ziad@couzinfilms.com
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@COUZINFILMS